NEW YORK (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $500 million, 14-year contract that starts in 2026, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, a deal that removes what would have been the biggest star from next offseason’s free-agent market.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity early Monday because the agreement had not been announced.
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Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returns to the dugout following eighth-inning baseball game action against the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates a win over the Washington Nationals following MLB baseball action in Toronto, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates hitting a double during the third inning of MLB baseball action against the Washington Nationals, in Toronto, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) smiles after being tagged at second base by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) looks on prior to MLB baseball action against the Washington Nationals, in Toronto, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)
Guerrero’s deal does not include any deferred money, the person said.
“Wow. Awesome. As a teammate, we know who’s going be at first base the next 14 years," Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer said Monday before a four-game series at Boston.
Guerrero agreed in January to a $28.5 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration, and the four-time All-Star first baseman had said he wouldn’t negotiate after he reported to spring training in mid-February. Still, talks with his agent continued well into the regular season.
“Man, I was excited,” outfielder George Springer said after the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2 at Fenway Park. “I think it shows the level of commitment the organization has to the players, the team, the club, but, most importantly, the fans, the city, the country.”
Toronto manager John Schneider didn't want to talk about the deal until it was finalized. Guerrero still must pass a physical. Schneider said he hoped “everything that is reported gets done.”
Guerrero got the third-largest contract in total dollars behind outfielder Juan Soto’s $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets that started this season and two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero's $35.71 million average annual value under the new deal ranks eighth among current contracts behind the agreements of Ohtani ($70 million), Soto ($51 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million), Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell ($36.4 million) and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million).
A son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, the Blue Jays star turned 26 last month and would have been a free agent this fall at a relatively young age.
“He's always been driven and he's been pretty open about saying he wants to be as good or better than his dad, which is saying a lot,” Schneider said.
The younger Guerrero is a .277 career hitter with 160 homers and 511 RBIs. He's batting .256 with no homers and four RBIs in the first 10 games this season.
Seeking its first World Series title since winning championships in 1992 and 1993, Toronto notably failed to land Ohtani, Soto and Roki Sasaki. The Blue Jays agreed to a $92.5 million, five-year contract with outfielder Anthony Santander; a $15.5 million, one-year contract with right-hander Scherzer; and a $33 million, three-year contract with reliever Jeff Hoffman.
“We just want to win,” Scherzer said. “It’s great for the Toronto organization.”
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star, remains eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.
AP freelance writer Ken Powtak in Boston contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returns to the dugout following eighth-inning baseball game action against the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates a win over the Washington Nationals following MLB baseball action in Toronto, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates hitting a double during the third inning of MLB baseball action against the Washington Nationals, in Toronto, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) smiles after being tagged at second base by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) looks on prior to MLB baseball action against the Washington Nationals, in Toronto, Monday, March 31, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Justin Rose managed to steal the attention away from Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in the Masters by matching his personal best at Augusta National with a 7-under 65 for a three-shot lead Thursday in the first major of the year.
Scheffler did his part in his bid to win a third Masters green jacket in four years, playing a bogey-free round of 68.
McIlroy, so desperate to win this major and complete the career Grand Slam, was right there with him until the end. He took a pair of double bogeys late in the afternoon with careless mistakes and had to settle for a 72. It was the seventh straight time he failed to break 70 in the opening round of the Masters.
Rose burst out of the gates with three straight birdies. He added three more around the turn. He was headed for a round nearly 10 shots better than the field average until a poor tee shot into the trees led to his only bogey at the final hole.
No matter. This was a reminder to Rose that his good golf is still very good.
“I'm 44. Golf is not going to get easier for me in the next five, 10 years, whatever it's going to be,” Rose said. “So your opportunity is less going forward. So you have to make the most of it.”
Rose set one Masters record: The fifth time he has had at least a share of the 18-hole lead, breaking the mark held by Jack Nicklaus. The glaring difference, of course, is Nicklaus has six of those green jackets.
It also was the eighth time Rose has had at least a share of the lead after any round at Augusta National, something only five others have done. All are Masters champions.
“I feel like I've played well enough to win this tournament,” said Rose, whose best chance was a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia in 2017. “I just feel like I don't have the jacket to prove it. ... But you've got to be playing the golf to keep creating those opportunities, and the only way to do that is to get your name on the leaderboard. I definitely don't shy away from it.”
Scheffler was 3 under at the turn, including one birdie on the par-5 eighth in which his ball was deep in a divot hole short of the green. He managed to get that out some 20 feet left of the pin and used the slope to bring it back to 15 feet and made the putt.
He was rarely under stress.
“I struggled for what felt like two pars today,” Scheffler said “But other than that, the golf course was in front of me most of the day, kept the ball in play, did a lot of really good things out there.”
Corey Conners of Canada birdied his last two holes for a 68, and they were joined Ludvig Aberg, the super Swede who was runner-up to Scheffler in his Masters debut a year ago.
U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton carried the LIV Golf flag, both at 69. DeChambeau had seven birdies in his up-and-down day, a show of his scoring power.
“Making some bogeys for me probably frees me up a little bit and says, you know what? Just go out and play some golf,” DeChambeau said.
The roars came early, along with a few shockers.
Fred Couples, who wondered a month ago if at 65 with a creaky back he would still be welcomed to play, became only the second player that age to break par. Couples holed out from the fairway on the 14th with a 6-iron hybrid on his way to a 71. Tom Watson was also 65 — by 28 days he is still the oldest — when he shot 71 in 2015.
The horror show belonged to Nick Dunlap, a 21-year-old who last year won on the PGA Tour as an amateur. This must have felt like amateur hour when he made double bogey on the final hole for a 90. It was the highest score since Ben Crenshaw shot 91 in 2015 at ag 63.
Hideki Matsuyama might have caught the worst break when his approach into the par-5 13th hit the pin and caromed into the tributary of Rae's Creek. The wildest day belonged to Nicolai Hojgaard — one eagle, five birdies, four pars, five bogeys and three double bogeys. Do the math and that comes out to 76.
“It's mentally draining playing a round like this,” Hojgaard said.
And then there was McIlroy, chipping into the water from behind the 15th green for double bogey, and then going long on the 17th and compounding that mistake with a three-putt for another double bogey.
Far more blissful on a warm spring day was Rose, who at one point had it going so well that he felt like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter.
He pitched to 6 feet for birdie on the par-5 eighth. He hit wedge to the ninth and used the slope to set up a 5-foot birdie, giving him a career-low 31 on the front nine. That was followed by a 12-foot birdie putt.
“That's when the day felt a bit different. That’s when I felt I was doing something potentially more on the special side,” Rose said.
And then he really began to pull away from the field with a smart pitch away from the water to set up a 10-foot birdie on the 15th, followed by a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 16th. The pins on the final two holes allowed for birdies and Rose was thinking super special. He got par-bogey instead that didn't ruin his mood.
The average score was 73.6. Only six players broke 70, and 20 others broke par.
“Overall, great day," Rose said.. “I played a lot of golf here at Augusta National. So to come away with my equal best score is certainly an achievement for me.”
Still three days away is an achievement that so far has eluded him.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Justin Rose walks to the green on the 15th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Justin Rose waits to putt on the 18th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Shane Lowry, of Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the 15th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Thomas Detry, of Belgium, hits from the bunker on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Collin Morikawa hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Brian Harman tees it up on the ninth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Jose Luis Ballester, of Spain, watches his tee shot on the eighth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Justin Rose hits from the pine straw on the 15th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Honorary Starter Jack Nicklaus acknowledges the patrons, as fellow Honorary Starter Tom Watson applauds, on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kevin Yu, of Taiwan, hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Jordan Spieth looks at Tom Kim's, of South Korea, ball rest on the edge of the cup on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tyrrell Hatton, of England, lines up a putt on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Scottie Scheffler waits to hit on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Bryson DeChambeau hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks off the 18th green after the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Scottie Scheffler watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Justin Rose waves after making a putt on the 18th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Cameron Young hits from the fairway on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark, walks on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Honorary Starter Gary Player stretches on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Honorary Starter Jack Nicklaus plays his shot on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
From left: Honorary Starter Gary Player, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley, Honorary Starter Jack Nicklaus, and Honorary Starter Tom Watson pose on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
